Mayor Jason Buelterman said that the original date applied for, April 13, conflicted with the annual Tybee Wine Festival. The Turtle Trot 5K beach run, a professional volleyball tournament, the Beach Bum Parade and Memorial Day weekend were also scheduled for dates around that time, although Buelterman said that April 6 appeared to be available.

Councilwoman Wanda Doyle said that she did not want the city holding more than one event a day.

“It puts too much strain on the city,” Doyle said.

Some of the council also had issues with the parking lot being used for the event at no charge and there were also concerns that there would be inadequate security.

Matadin said there would be 30 Savannah police officers and sheriff’s department deputies providing security, but Councilman Barry Brown said 100 officers would be needed.

Brown, Doyle, Jan Fox and Tom Groover voted against the permit, while Councilmen Paul Wolff and Bill Garbett, along with Buelterman, had wanted to give the organizers more time to settle on an alternate date and address the funding and security concerns.

“Either way, something is going to happen,” Buelterman said. “Whether it is official or unofficial.”

The yearly event has generated passionate reactions from residents, especially after an online video posted last year showed Orange Crush revelers had left behind a trash-strewn beach. There were also a number of police incidents, including six felony drug charges, one investigation into the discharge of firearms and one high-speed chase. Having an organizer who was held accountable was seen as a way to prevent such problems from reoccurring.

But many residents are against the event being held at all. During Thursday night’s meeting, many of the comments by councilmen opposing the event drew applause from those in attendance.

Orange Crush, which has been occurring at least 30 years, was traditionally an unofficial spring break for Savannah State University, although the school does not sanction it and many of those who attend are not students. The permit application estimated up to 5,000 people would attend the event, which would be from noon to 11 p.m. The event was described in the application as a music and arts festival that would feature such hip-hop artists as T.I., Two Chains and Currency. There were also plans to provide shuttles for volunteers to clean up afterward.

After Thursday’s vote, Matadin said she was not bothered by the council’s decision. She and her partners were trying to do Tybee a favor by organizing the event, she said, as residents and city officials had demanded.

“It doesn’t matter to us whether they reject it or accept it,” Matadin said. “It’s going to go on whether people approve it or not.”